Transport Minister Ben Martins bemoaned a road accident in KwaZulu-Natal that killed eight school children and seriously injured another five.
|||Durban - Transport Minister Ben Martins bemoaned a road accident in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday that killed eight school children and seriously injured another five.
“An accident specialist has been appointed to assist with the investigation of the crash,” his department said in a statement.
“Minister Martins has conveyed a message of condolences to members of the deceased families and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.”
The department said road accidents cost the South African approximately R306 billion a year. This did not take into account the pain and anguish of the parents and relatives of those killed.
The eight pupils died when their bus driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned on the R66 between Ulundi and Kwaceza on Tuesday.
Twenty suffered minor injuries. The exact ages of the children were not known or whether the driver was injured.
“The only way to stop irresponsible behaviour on our roads is to impose harsher sentences to those who disregard the rules of the road,” the department said.
“At present road crashes are reportedly the leading causes of death among the 15 to 29 age group.”
By 2015, it was projected to be the leading cause of death in the five to 15 age group, causing more deaths than HIV and malaria. Alcohol abuse caused half of all injuries and deaths on the road, which resulted in serious social and economic costs for the country.
The department would soon finalise the road safety strategy. This would inform policy and legislative review mechanisms to strengthen enforcement and the effective co-ordination of public awareness and education campaigns.
The department was considering mechanisms to introduce a pupil transport policy which would ensure vehicles used to transport children were in good condition. - Sapa